


Sunlight Sonata

by kittengriffin (Shadaras)



Series: Guardians (The Sunlight Saga) [1]
Category: Neopets
Genre: Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-05
Updated: 2008-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:42:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23823265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadaras/pseuds/kittengriffin
Summary: Three brothers gain a magical amulet that sends them through time to help fight a battle and free Faerieland from Sloth's occupying forces.
Series: Guardians (The Sunlight Saga) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716496





	1. Rondo: Sunlight

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally published in the Neopian Times. I have changed basically nothing, save to alter words I did not know were slurs at the time. If I've missed any, please tell me; I still like the story but those words are definitely not necessary to telling this story.

It was an altogether normal day. No, that wasn’t true. It was too boring to be truly normal. Coru stared up at the sun-gilded leaves above him, their green beautiful against the blue of the sky. Nothing had happened yet, and the sun was making its way to the horizon. Invi hadn’t come by to taunt him, and Az had shut himself up in his caves, experimenting with something Coru was almost certain was explosive. And that left Coru trying to entertain himself as best he could.

The thing was, it was the middle of summer, and nothing was going on. Even if something was going on, it would take all day to get to wherever that something was happening and back. That was the curse of living in the middle of nowhere. But he was the only one of them that had ever minded, for some reason or another. Sighing, the brown Kougra rolled onto his stomach, stretching his paws out in front of him.

It wasn’t like he, Az, or Invi were going to kill everyone around them. They managed not to kill each other, after all. Well. Mostly, at least.

Coru shook his head, remembering what had happened the last time all three of them had been at home together. Az had started talking about his experiments, Invi had started laughing at them, and he had ended up shouting at both of them and trying to kick Invi out of the house. It hadn’t worked, even when Az finally started helping. When Invi had finally left, it had been his own choice, and he’d flown off insulting them.

Coru dug his claws into the ground, wondering why they put up with the Eyrie. Probably because they had helped him raise himself. If Invi hadn’t been blind, it was unlikely that they would have found him at all, let alone been allowed to touch him and give him food. Invi didn’t seem to remember how they had helped him, though. Or he thought it was a sign of weakness, and he would never allow himself to be weak.

New sounds trickled through the forest, and Coru’s ears perked up, a smile crossing his face. It was the right time of year for Caravan Eight to be traveling through, and that sounded like them. The combination of singing, hooves, and jingling, jangling jewelry that formed the sounds of their caravan drew him towards them. They chose a different route through the forest each year, and each year, Coru tried to find them. He usually succeeded, too.

Following the music through the woods was easy enough. There were few other sounds in the area, the caravan having scared all of the wildlife away. The first glimpse Coru caught of the caravan was of the gaily dressed Gallions and Whinnies that pulled the wagons. The second was of the merchants who rode those wagons, laughing and talking, seemingly without a care in the world. Catching sight of a pink Aisha, Coru smiled, running towards the wagon where she sat. “Megan!”

The Aisha turned, smiling. “Hello, Corus. You found us again, I see.”

“Of course!” Coru leapt up onto Megan’s wagon, settling himself beside her. He ignored Megan’s name for him. It had always irked him a little. Yes, his full name was Coruscatus, but he preferred being called Coru. “Want to stay by my place tonight?”

“How could we not?” Megan asked, in jest. “You always cook such wonderful food.”

Coru looked down. Last time the merchants had been over, Az had cooked. That hadn’t turned out so well. “Yeah. Well. I’ll be sure that Az doesn’t get into the kitchen this time.”

“Speaking of Az, is he around?”

“He’s always around,” Coru said. “It’s just a matter of whether or not he’s home. But yes, he should be. He said he’d come back from the caves tonight.”

“Good! He’s a wonderful dancer, and that’s always a gift.” Megan’s attention was on the ground in front of her wagon, and Coru didn’t have any reply for her. Neither of them mentioned Invi. Coru because he was a nuisance, and Megan because she hadn’t seen Invi in a few years. Silence fell over the wagon for a time as Megan drove to the front of the caravan. Coru let his mind wander, answering Megan’s questions about how to find his home as they were asked, but not paying very much attention to them.

As they were nearing his home, Coru heard soft footsteps from behind him. Turning, he saw a Usul, her eyes and lips darkened to match her dark blue hair. “So,” she said, her voice soft and resonant. “You’re back. What about the blind one? Is he still here?”

Coru nodded, turning back to the front of the wagon. The blind one. Invi. Coru had never figured out why he and Gindara got along so well. Perhaps it was because of how similar they were, but he doubted it. It didn’t seem right that two people with personalities like theirs would get along. It seemed more like they’d rub each other the wrong way.

“Good. I’ll be seeing him, then.”

Coru didn’t answer. If Gindara said she would see Invi, she would. He’d gotten used to her predictions, even when they seemed more like guesses than anything else. Invi would almost certainly be waiting for them when they reached his house. And, with his luck, so would Az.

The soft sounds of footsteps going back into the wagon gave him some relief. He didn’t like Gindara at all. She was a mage, and the one who had taught Invi and Az how to control their powers. Coru hadn’t needed her teaching, and was grateful for that. He’d taught Az as best he could, but she had done a better job. She had more experience, of course, but even so, he held a grudge for that.

The rest of the ride was in silence, on part of Megan’s wagon, at least. The shouts and songs from the other wagons drifted over, and Coru’s smile faded as he heard a snatch of one. _“Shadows cry for darkness, darkness burns in light. Shadows come and pray for them, and then come and savage the light.”_ Invidere... he had sung that song for them, years ago.

“We are the fire, we are the light.” Megan sang the haunting tune softly. “We are the lightning, and never in night.”

He looked at her, trying to avoid her eyes, but failing. Megan watched him, her usually smiling face grave.

“Corus, why did Invidere sing that song?”

“He is darkness.” Coru shrugged, his gaze wandering back to the forest they passed through. “He is moonlight.” Oh, as far as that song of his was concerned, that was a contradiction, but it was true. Invi was darkness, blind and shadowed. And yet, he shone like moonlight when he wished. 

Megan sighed. Coru knew she’d be shaking her head at him. Every time he was with her, she found a way to ask him about Invi. And every year, he gave the same sort of answer. Neither of them spoke of it after that. Neither of them spoke of anything after that, really. They both fell back into their own worlds.

In front of them, he could see the opening in the trees that was his clearing. Coru straightened, leaping off the wagon and running ahead. At the edge of the clearing, a black blur caught him. “You didn’t tell me the Caravan was coming!”

“How could I? I only found out when I heard them.” Coru shoved against Az with his hind legs, pushing the Draik off of him. “Is Invi here?”

Az nodded, pushing the goggles he wore onto his forehead as he stood. “That’s why I’m out here in all the dirt and gunk and stuff. He’s inside.”

Coru resisted rolling his eyes as Az’s opinion of the forest. There was as much ‘dirt and gunk and stuff’ in Az’s lab as in the forest, last he’d checked. He loped over to his house, letting Az direct the merchants. They usually liked him more than they did Coru, probably because Az had a flair for the dramatic. One that usually ended up exploding stuff. Coru shook his head, flinging open the door to his home.

Inside, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just the rough wooden furniture, the woven grass mats, and the stone fireplace. Only when Invi spoke did he finally see the black Eyrie.

“So. You brought them, Coruscatus?” Coru turned to face Invi, who strode out of the shadows as surely as if he had sight. Coru sighed. He even changed the furniture around after each time Invi visited, and yet the Eyrie never acted blind. It was infuriating. “I would have thought you knew better.”

“What do I not know this time?” Coru snapped, his tail lashing back and forth. He knew his claws were digging into the wooden floor, but he couldn’t help it. Invi brought that sort of reaction.

“Merchants have been spreading dangerous items recently,” Invi said, pacing in front of Coru. “And— Well, I suppose it won’t matter, soon enough.” He smiled at Coru. “Now, will you please move? I’d like to talk to them.”

Coru stepped aside, feeling the chill breeze Invi made as he passed. He didn’t really want to go outside, not with Invi and Az both out there. Besides, he had sort of promised the merchants he’d help them cook. Moving deeper into the house, Coru made his way to the kitchen. He’d find something for the merchants in there.

For a time, he lost himself in cooking, his only contact with the outside the music and laughter that drifted through the windows. And after a time, when Az came to ask him if he was ready, he had prepared a salad large enough for most of their guest to have at least a little of it. Carrying it, he followed Az back outside, letting the sounds wash over him as everyone talked and ate and laughed.

Pulled into a dance, Coru gave up trying to act serious and let the visitors whirl him into their world, one formed of nothing but sound and motion, until people began to trickle away for sleep. Things quieted, then, and Coru slipped away, collapsing onto his bed and falling into a deep, dreamless, sleep.

* * *

“Wake up.”

“Huh?” Coru opened his eyes. In front of him were two light blue eyes, surrounded by a tawny face and blue hair. “What is it, Gindara?” he asked, coming to full alertness instantly.

“I just wanted to give you a little gift,” the blue Usul said, backing up. Coru could now see the darkness of his room, lit only by a lantern she held. It flickered, sending shadows darting around the room. “Take it and use it wisely,” Gindara said, tossing a small object towards him. It glittered in the light, but before Coru could get a good look at it, Gindara blew out the lantern.

“Ta-ta!” he heard her say, the soft creak of his door closing behind her words. He was left in silent darkness, holding a small object in his hand. It felt like a brooch, or something of that sort. Coru shook his head, reaching out to set it on the table beside his bed. He’d deal with it in the morning.

As the object left his hand, he could have sworn he saw it glow, illuminating the brown table and his brown fur. Coru blinked, trying to figure out whether or not that had been his imagination. In the end, he simply lay back down, repeating what he’d already decided. He’d deal with it tomorrow.


	2. Rondo con Moto: Afternoon Shadows

The caravan was gone.

Oh, it might not have been obvious to Coruscatus or Azimuth, but Invidere could tell they were gone. The noise that they generated always echoed around them, no matter what they did. It had kept him awake for much of the night, until their energy became contained and manageable. Then he had fallen into the deep, dreamless slumber that he always had when he slept around others. It was one of the reasons why he stayed away from Azimuth and Coruscatus much of the time.

And he really should go see if one of them had made any food yet. Standing, Invidere began to hum. His ears, unlike those of Korbats and Barbats, were not made for this, but he had learned. Echolocation was a simple enough matter, once you trained yourself to it, day after day. He doubted anyone noticed his humming, either because it was pitched too high for them, or because they were used to it. The only downside of humming constantly was that he could not see auras, but if he was still, he did not need to hum, so it evened out, in the end.

Picking his way through the furniture, and only bumping into things and cursing a few times, Invidere made his way to the kitchen. He could hear the sound of someone in there, moving and almost certainly preparing breakfast. Pausing in the doorway, both in his steps and his humming, he cast around him for the prickly-hot metallic aura of Azimuth; the Draik was usually up earlier than Coruscatus. But instead, he found the Kougra’s aura; the smell of the forest and the sudden feeling of soft grass brushing against him.

But there was something else, too. “When did you get that enchanted thing?” he asked, pointing his head towards Coruscatus. “You did not have it last night, I know.”

He could hear Coruscatus’s hesitation, the slight stutter in his step before he replied. “What’re you talking about? The pendant Gindara gave me?”

“I assume so. May I have it?” Invidere held out a paw without waiting for an answer. He knew Coruscatus would glare at him for a time before deciding, but it was best to hold out his paw anyway.

A minute passed before he felt something touch his paw. “It’s a pendant,” Coruscatus said. “Shaped like a sun in glory.”

“I think I could have figured that out,” Invidere said, closing his paw over the pendant. Focusing on it, he could feel the power inside. Deep power, like that of lakes or the depths of the sky, but not a power he recognized. “Gindara.” Not a question, or even close to one. She was the only source of such magic he could think of. “What did she say when she gave this to you?”

“Almost nothing,” Coruscatus said, rather absentmindedly. He sounded distracted, and the soft – to others – noise of food being prepared gave the reason. “Something about using it wisely, I think. She woke me up to give it to me, so if there was anything more, I can’t remember it.”

Invidere was silent. He shook his head a bit and sat back, freeing up his forepaws to slip the pendant around his neck. As the pendant settled into the fur of his chest, he felt it grow warmer, and the feeling of power increased. 

“Do you remember my warning?” Invidere asked. “Coruscatus, get Azimuth up. He needs to hear this as much as you do, if not more.”

“Wait until I finish the eggs, Invi,” Coruscatus said. Invidere sighed at the contraction of his name. He wished that the brothers would use his full name, instead of one that sounded very much like ‘envy’. He had nothing to envy, after all, other than the sight that he had never had.

The hisses, clicks, and clacks of Coruscatus’s cooking took an eternity to end, to Invidere’s ears at least. His pacing. mind closed to all but his thoughts and the pendant’s aura, managed to get in Coruscatus’s way more often than not, and yet the Kougra never told him to go away. Invidere did not wonder why that was. He knew. It was because of the pendant. It bound and re-aligned things. Oh, its power was something to be feared, certainly, but Invidere could feel naught but longing for it.

A soft splat, the sound of the scrambled eggs being plopped onto a plate, and Invidere looked straight at Coruscatus. “Go get him,” he said softly.

Coruscatus went. There were no questions asked, and though there should be none until he had said his piece, Invidere knew Azimuth would interrupt him. That could not be helped, however. Azimuth was what he was, and though he was older than Invidere, Azimuth seemed the younger. Invidere sighed, letting those thoughts drift away as he began inspecting the pendant’s aura for clues about what it did.

“I get it already! Stop pushing me around!”

Azimuth’s words pulled Invidere out of his trance. “Brotherly love?” he murmured, softly enough so that Coruscatus and Azimuth were unlikely to hear him. “Enough,” he said, turning to face the door they had just come through. His voice was quiet, but intense enough to cut through the argument. “Azimuth, I assume Coruscatus told you about the pendant.”

“Well, yeah,” Azimuth muttered. Invidere suspected that he was hanging his head.

“It’s not my fault!” Coruscatus protested. “He told me to.”

“Enough,” Invidere snapped. Stepping closer to Azimuth, he hissed, “You will listen to me, understand? For if you do not, you will end up in deeper trouble than you already are.”

That silenced them. Invidere let the silence hang there, echoing with chirps and birdcalls from outside. The soft sounds of breathing and shifting of weight seemed to reverberate through the room, louder than the voices that had been raised.

“This is stupid!” Azimuth said, finally. Invidere smiled. He’d been waiting for that. “I mean, you start yelling at us, ordering us around, and then, when you actually get us ta follow ya orders, ya just up ‘n drop us! Stupid bird-thing! Ya don’t know anything but how ta smash in ta da walls!”

Invidere held back his laughter, but it was a close thing. Nobody quite knew why Azimuth had an accent when upset. Coruscatus suspected it had to do with the people he dealt with for his experiments. “Azimuth, you are aware that you are talking like a Krawk Islander, correct?”

“’Course I know that! How could I not with ya telling me ev’ry chance ya get?”

“Az, cut it out,” Coruscatus said. “You’re talking like an uneducated peasant.”

“Well, ya talk like a high-an’-mighty lord, or some such thing!”

“Thank you, peasant.”

“Shut up,” Invidere growled. “Both of you. This pendant can take us to a different reality, if we activate it.”

Dead silence.

“Thank you,” Invidere said, as calm as if the argument had never happened. “Now, let me explain. This pendant is a powerful item. It has been enchanted to take the bearers – that would be us – to a place that is troubled in some way or form. The bearers then help with that trouble, and reactivate the pendant and return to their time.

“There are a few problems, however. The foremost being that, if we activate this, we cannot know when, or even if, we will return. The second being that the pendant does not know how to activate itself.”

“So we get to experiment?” Invidere recognized that tone. It was Azimuth’s ‘Happy! I get to blow things up!’ tone.

“We do,” Invidere said. “But using magic, not your insufferable technology.”

“But- but-”

“Az, do you honestly think that you could get something magical to work using your weird Virtupets stuff?” Invidere could not quite tell in Coruscatus was irritated or amused. There were elements of both in his voice and aura.

“Yes,” Azimuth said, promptly. “I do. Would you like me to try?”

“No!” Coruscatus and Invidere spoke at the same time. Invidere continued, speaking over Coruscatus for only a moment before the other stopped. “Azimuth, I believe that I am best suited to activating this. The aura that surrounds it holds the key to using it. I just need time to find those keys.”

“Sucks to be you, then.”

Invidere felt the intention in Azimuth’s aura, and was already moving aside. But the sighted always held an advantage over the blind, even if the blind knew who he was dealing with. Invidere found himself in a choke hold, Azimuth’s hand reaching for the sunburst, and unable to do anything about it. Invidere felt like he should be panicking, but instead, a sense of absolute calm overcame him.

“Addonos alio.” The words came spilling out of his mouth, almost faster than he could form them. “Addonos uta vulnero locus. Addonos quanos succurro.” A pause. “Sollumin.”

Invidere heard Azimuth cry out, heard Coruscatus shout. He could feel the reason behind that. The pendant on his chest felt like it was on fire, and even he could see the light that shone from it. His final word echoed around them. _Sollumin. Sollumin. Sollumin..._

On the third repetition, the light flashed even brighter, and Invidere had a sense of being pulled up into the sky, faster and harder than anything he had ever encountered before. A moment later, he was thrown against cold, hard stones. A scent not unlike the scent of Azimuth’s labs hung in the air.

A moment later, he heard Coruscatus speak, summing the experience up in a few stunned words. “Well. That was certainly... exciting.”

“Exciting? I thought I was going ta be torn up in ta bits!” Azimuth said, obviously even more agitated than before. “What’cha going to say next, Coru? Tha’ an inferno is only a li’l hot?”

“No, that this place only stinks a little bit. Honestly. This place stinks worse than your lab.”

“Hey! M’ lab doesn’t stink!”

“Shut up and tell me what this place looks like,” Invidere said, trying to sort through all the odd scents and sounds of this place. “Or are you forgetting that I’m blind?”

Azimuth shut up. Coruscatus, thankfully, did not. He simply changed to a more useful topic. “We’re in some techno-place. I think the area that we’re in used to be Neopia Central, but I can’t be sure. There’re robots and mutants with stuff that looks like what Az is always experimenting with walking around everywhere, and there’s Virtupets-ish logos everywhere. I think Sloth has a bit more influence here than he did back home.” Coruscatus paused. “Az? What do you think?”

“Coru’s right,” Azimuth whispered. “It’s not good.” A pause followed, and Invidere sensed his stillness, suspecting that pain accompanied it. He himself was still, trying to sense anything other than dust and electricity. “I don’t like this place at all.”

“You!” Whirrs and pops accompanied the mechanical voice, but seemed separate from it. “You aren’t on the Registry!”

“Oh,” Azimuth said quietly. “Bugger.”


	3. Allegro: Falling Dusk

“Please follow me,” the robot said, gesturing with his taser. “We will not use force if you comply with directions.” 

Az stared at it in mute defiance. The robot was shaped like a Kyrii, more or less, but its glare held none of the compassion that a living being’s would hold. He wanted to leap at the robot, pull at its casing until it fell apart, and then rip all the wiring inside to shreds. He could feel heat growing in his chest, in that place where his fire waited.

“Az.”

One syllable of warning. That was all it took to cool the fire. Coru had always been good at that. Az closed his eyes for a moment before stepping forward with Coru, pulling Invi with him. “I don’t like this,” he muttered. “I don’t like this at all.” But he followed Coru as the robot turned, leading them down the dark, pristine streets. Their footprints left dust behind, something that yet another robot would clean up, he thought cynically. Like the dirt that coated the walls could ever go away. It seemed ingrained into the metal itself.

As they passed, Az watched heads turn, and then, just as quickly, turn back. When Az tried to catch someone’s eye, they would look away even more quickly. He sighed. Everything was covered in dust, gray and heavy. Nothing like the bright and shining stories told about Neopia Central. The air seemed heavy, and the sky was dark, fogged, and vaguely orange. Az shivered. This wasn’t a good place at all.

From the way Invi was walking, his tail dragging on the ground, head drooping so that his beak touched the fur on his chest, Az suspected the Eyrie felt the same. His grip tightened on Invi’s mane, his black hand blending into black fur. In this, at least, they were brothers. Coru, he noted sourly, didn’t seem to be affected at all by this place. He was his normal self, brown and bland and utterly unconcerned by the fact that they’d been captured by a robot. And not just any robot. A robot that was obviously from Virtupets.

Coru probably wouldn’t notice. Invi _couldn’t_ notice. And Az couldn’t point it out to them with that robot marching right in front of them. Another two had fallen in behind them, slightly to each side. Both of them, he noted, were Hissi-based. The sound they made as they slithered across the ground was uncannily similar to what normal Hissi’s made, much unlike the Kyrii they were following. It sounded like what it was: a robot.

A well-made robot, at that. Az watched its movement intently, fascinated by its precision. He’d seen many of Virtupets’ greatest inventions in his time, but in this time, they seemed to have a whole lot more to marvel at, if you were looking for it.

There were robots that looked like Korbats flying through the sky in what was probably some sort of surveillance system. Smaller flying things, probably robotic Horus or something of the sort, darted in paths that wound around each other, barely avoiding collisions that seemed inevitable, with objects dangling below or behind them. Messengers, probably. Az smiled. Even in this robotic future, nothing had replaced their best system of object transportation.

“Please speed up,” one of the Hissis, well, hissed. “We must get you to the Registry as quickly as possible.” Az glared at the robot, purposefully moving slower. He let go of Invi’s mane, freeing his hands, both of which were now clenched.

“Warning: If you do not comply with directions, force will be used.”

The robot’s droning tone made Az shake his head. The Hissis weren’t even holding weapons. What could they do to him?

“Make me, snake-bots,” he said, turning to face them and halting in their paths. He was smiling now, the predatory grin of someone who wanted to fight, and kill, and most of all, live.

“Az! Shut up before you get us all killed!”

“No-go, princess.” Az could feel the fire building up in his chest, and he spread his arms, hands relaxed. The Hissi’s seemed confused. They weren’t moving anything more than their heads, and those were merely rocking back and forth.

“Warning: Force will be used in three...”

Az turned to face the Kyrii robot, still smiling. “Yes,” he said. “It will.”

“Two...”

He closed his eyes, focusing on his center, as Gindara had taught him. On the source of his fire. It built up, raging through his body in a wave of pure heat.

“One...”

His eyes snapped open and he leapt, spreading his wings and mouth wide open.

“Attack!”

Az’s fire hit the Kyrii’s taser first, the wave of blue-white flames surging over the entire robot, Az following behind. Az spun as he landed, his weight perfectly balanced and his eyes white instead of their usual blue. He ignored the Kyrii’s sputtering chassis, freezing for a moment to glance around.

The Hissis were both coiled up in the strike position. Coru seemed to have resigned himself to the inevitable, for he had dragged Invi away from where Az was. Az was just glad he’d decided not to help or try to distract him. Az leapt, and he roared. Ice-fire, Gindara had called it, the blue-white flames that he could breathe when he chose. Not a weapon most of his kind could use. It slowed, froze. It touched the Hissis at the same time as Az reached them.

He bit one, spinning to swing his tail into the other. The one he bit buzzed, sparked. The other one was still moving. Az turned, bouncing off the now-destroyed Hissi. He hit the Hissi’s head as it was coming towards him, spitting true, golden fire at the Hissi. They both fell to the ground. Az lay there, breathing hard. The Hissi in front of him was sparking, the flames sputtering out.

“Az? You alright?” Coru was pulling the Hissi off him, peering down with concerned golden eyes. “That looks bad.”

“Yeah. More or less.” Az winced, pulling himself to his feet. “Lets get out of here before the rest of them come after us too.”

“Come wi’ us.”

Az leapt, turning towards the voice, ready to attack. The red Kyrii now in front of him was crouched down, her glance flickering all around.

“We know a safe place.” She glanced around. “It’ll take ‘em a couple beats t’ figure out wha’ happ’ned, but once they ha’, boom! There we a’ go.”

“We’ll come,” Az said. He paused. “Why did I say that?”

Coru looked at him as if he was crazy. “Because you’re crazy?”

The Kyrii laughed. “Ev’ryone’s crazy, kid. Coming?”

Az nodded. He trusted this Kyrii, even if it was unreasonable. Coru didn’t know technology. Coru didn’t know why everyone who wasn’t a mutant looked so downtrodden. Az did. And this Kyrii shone against everyone else he’d seen in this Fyora-forsaken world.

The Kyrii returned his nod and started running.

“Where are you going?” Coru shouted, racing after them. “Az! You should know better than this!”

Az ignored him, concentrating on keeping pace with the Kyrii’s quick pace and constant turns through alleyways.

“We got your friend, by the by.” She spoke as if she weren’t moving at all. “Oh, and I’m called Sayang. Nice to meet’cha.”

“Az. And he’s Coru.” Az waved towards the brown Kougra, keeping pace with Sayang. “Invi’s blind, so how d’you know that he’ll come with your friend? Whoever that is.”

“He will,” Sayang said. But she said nothing more. Az wanted to question her, but right then, he’d rather wait until they stopped moving. But they just kept running, darting through passageways that Az could have sworn weren’t there until they were already inside. Nobody noticed them, not even the robots, who Az was sure would have gotten his description by then. He didn’t look like anyone in this world, after all.

Or maybe he did. Passing more people, getting a better look at them, Az saw goggles, much like his own, resting on foreheads. Scorch-marked clothing was common, as were time-keepers like Az wore. All of it was Virtupets technology. But if he fit in, then that meant that Coru didn’t. And that Invi definitely didn’t.

“Here.” Sayang stopped at a nondescript door, one that looked like any one of the others on the row. Opening it, she waved Coru in, but grabbed Az’s arm before he could follow. “Wha’ you did back there. Tha’ wa’ dangerous. If you hadn’t gotten ‘em, we’d all be dead.” Sayang’s dark eyes glittered with fire. “Get backup next time. You’ll need it.”

Sayang shoved him through the door before Az could figure out what she was saying. The room he found himself in was dark, but for the light that filtered through the door. And in an instant, even that was gone, as the door closed behind him. “Everyone here?” someone said. Az couldn’t tell who.

“I got two of ‘em. You got th’ other?”

“Of course.”

“Let’s go.”

A light came on, and Az blinked, trying to readjust after the darkness. Invi and Coru were in front of him, and at the far side of the room, a white Zafara stood. He was the one with the lantern. Az blinked again, trying to figure out if the silver symbols he thought he saw on the Zafara’s dark blue robe were there or not. “Follow me,” the Zafara said, and his voice flooded through Az. It was soft, but like water, it was everywhere. It pulled at him, making him want to follow.

The Zafara turned, and as he started walking, Invi moved up next to him. Coru followed, without even a whisper of protest. Az stared at the Zafara, unsure what to think of him. He seemed to be a mage of some sort or another, if he could compel people like that. But why hadn’t it worked on him, then?

Az found himself standing next to Sayang, who held a lantern of her own. “His voice don’t work on you, do it?” she said. Her face was serious, and her dark eyes glittered with the lantern’s fire. “Keben’s got a gift. Much like th’ one tha’ Eyrie’s got.” Sayang leaned in closer, whispering into his ear. “He’s a dreamer, you see.”


	4. Allegro Moderato: Moonrise

The white Zafara – Keben Cian, he said his name was – was quite nice to them, Coru thought. His voice didn’t carry the accent Sayang’s did, which made him much easier to understand. And Invi liked him. Coru wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not, but he was willing to accept that Invi’s intuition was often better than his. He could hear the two of them whispering about something, but it didn’t bother him.

He frowned. Why didn’t it bother him? He should care more about this than he did right now. His life was on the line now, with this stranger he barely knew. So why was it that whenever Keben spoke to him, he couldn’t help but follow along and agree with the Zafara, no matter what he’d said?

“Coru?” Keben halted, his face finally showing something other than a smile. “Do you know where Azimuth is?”

Coru thought for a moment. “No. I don’t. He’s probably with Sayang, though.” He glanced behind him, past where the light of Keben’s torch ended. The faint glow of another lantern, almost certainly Sayang’s, was back there, and growing closer. Looking back at Keben, he saw the Zafara nod and continue walking without another word. Coru shook his head and followed, keeping even closer to the source of the light.

* * *

Keben finally stopped in a low room that seemed much like a cave. Its walls were rough, and the ground was covered with soft, dry fibers. Keben set his lantern down on a small outcropping on the wall, taking a seat near it. His robe shimmered as he moved, and Coru, half-hypnotized, followed him, sitting against the wall nearby. Invi, on the other hand, was right next to Keben, closer to another person than Coru had seen him since his childhood.

None of them said anything until Sayang and her light caught up to them, Az trailing behind. Sayang glanced at them, shook her head, and sat down on the opposite side of the cave, placing her lantern on a similar outcropping as Keben’s was on. Az sat next to her, wings pulled tight to his sides.

“So,” Sayang said. “Wha’ now?”

“They need an explanation,” Keben said. “This one -” he nodded at Invi “- says that they’re from another time. A time in our past.”

Sayang leaned forward, eyes fastened intently on Coru’s. “Tell me,” she said.

Invi opened his beak to speak, but Keben waved his arm, cutting him off. “She asked him,” he said, voice flooding the room. “Not you.”

Coru sighed, closing his eyes. “Okay, okay. This started when a merchant caravan I'm friendly with came by. They gave me that sunburst that Invi’s wearing. He somehow activated it, and it brought us here. Then those robots got us and you know the rest.” He opened his eyes, glaring at Sayang. “Happy now?”

“Yup.” She cocked her head, obviously thinking. “Keben, did you dream ‘em?”

“Why else would we have been there?” Keben said, obviously amused. “Really, Sayang. You know me better than that.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Sayang flicked a hand, brushing the comment away. “You explain, Keben, since you’re th’ dreamer.”

Coru had been turning back and forth, watching them and holding back his questions. But now he couldn’t resist. “What’s a dreamer?” he asked. “And how would you dream us?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Keben shook his head, bright blue eyes glittering. “I’m a dreamer. I dream, and my dreams are true. Oh, I can get dreams that don’t seem true at the time, but they are always true. And years ago, I dreamed of you. A dark Draik, a shadowed Eyrie, and an earthen Kougra. I dreamed that they’d return the sun and drive away the shadows.”

Invi reached up to touch the pendent on his chest. “The sun. In a symbolic sense?”

“Not entirely. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you need to know the history of this time. And that,” Keben said, “is for her to tell.”

“Must I?” Sayang sighed, and she seemed to shed a persona that she had been wearing. “Fine. Roughly one hundred years ago, Sloth launched an attack. It didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary at the time, but when it lasted over a year, we started to get worried. On the second anniversary of his first attack, Sloth delivered his ultimatum. He had Fyora captive, and he wouldn’t let her go unless Neopia surrendered.”

Az sat up. “How’d he get Fyora in the first place?”

Sayang sighed. “It’s not in the legend. Anyway, the many lands gathered together in a great council, the greatest Neopia has ever known, and they voted on what to do. Neopia Central, Altador, Meridell, and Brightvale didn’t want to give in, but in the end, they loved Fyora too much. They voted to let Sloth take Neopia.”

“Idiots,” Invi muttered. “Utter idiots.”

Sayang ignored him. “Tyrannia advocated war against Sloth. Shenkuu was quiet, not knowing enough of the world to truly contribute. Sekhment and Qasala were united and willing to give up Neopia. The desert had lived apart from the rest of the world before, and was willing to do so again.”

“Even for another thousand years?” Az asked, curious.

“Be quiet, please,” Sayang said. “Anyway. The Haunted Woods didn’t care. They were the ones who had the least connection with Fyora, after all. Maraqua and Terror Mountain were both hoping that they were remote enough that to escape Sloth’s wrath.”

“Even more idiotic.” Invi shook his head.

Sayang gave him a nasty look. “It was the islands that hesitated the most. They were cut off from the mainland, after all, though not as much as Maraqua. In the end, they gave in, and it was decided that they would accede to Sloth’s demands.”

Az poked her. “Wait, what about Kreludor and Faerieland?”

Sayang glared at him and Az shrunk back a bit. “Kreludor had already been taken over by Sloth, and Faerieland was in chaos. Sorry I skipped that. Anyway, as I was saying, Sloth handed Fyora over to the Faeries, but with her, he brought a brigade of robots, much like those who patrol now, but less... advanced? Fluid? It doesn’t matter. They had Faerieland quarantined, and they’ve had it quarantined ever since.”

Coru shook his head in wonder. “And nobody did anything about that?”

“Shut up,” Sayang growled. “They spread everywhere, after that. Using Faerieland as a base of operations, they took over the rest of Neopia, one area at a time. Neopia Central, Brightvale and Meridell, those were the first to fall. Altador took longer, because of the guardians that lived there. Shenkuu lasted only a few days longer than Altador. Tyrannia and Terror Mountain fell as one, fighting to the death.”

“Idiots!” Invi said. “Why are they such idiots?”

“Shut up!” Sayang hissed, glaring at everyone. “I will hit the next person to talk.” She smiled nastily. “And that will not be pretty. As I was going to say, the islands were next. They were cut off from all supplies but what they had on their own. Siege tactics. The Haunted Woods fell during that siege. Maraqua and the desert lasted the longest.

“There are still desert nomads out there, it’s said. Keben’s dreamed them.” She glanced at the Zafara, smiling. “And I believe him. And now that Sloth’s taken over the world, he’s renamed it. The Grand Empire, he calls it, and so we are supposed to as well.

“Now, Coru, you asked if anyone did anything about Faerieland’s quarantine. There have always been those who resist Sloth. This is our center, just as it is Sloth’s capital on Neopia. Neopia Central, it was called. Now, it is simply called Central. Those of us who resist Sloth’s reign have gained the name Traitor Republic. I’m still not exactly sure why.” Sayang shook her head. “I find it rather stupid, but anyway, that’s everything. Can I shut up for the rest of this, Keben?”

“Yes, yes.” Keben waved a hand, orange fire gleaming on his white fur and dark robe. “Any questions?”

Az perked up. “Yeah. Tell me, what’re we supposed to do now?”

“Well,” Keben said, rubbing his chin. “That’s the thing. My dream... it’s dark, but there’s light at the end. I know how it starts, and how it ends. The thing is, I don’t know the middle.” He smiled, sharp teeth glittering. “But you will. I know that. You will know the middle, when it comes time to act it out.” He stood, striding to the center of the room, turning to each of them in turn. “You, Azimuth, you’re the catalyst. Coru, you’re the planner. And you, Invidere, you are the dreamer. Just like me.”

“Just like you,” Invi said, in a sing-song, mocking tone. “I am not like you. I am not someone who uses others. I cannot influence others the way you do. Your voice is a song, and it sings through the world, changing the patterns that lie there.”

Coru glared at the Eyrie. “Your words have just as much effect as his. Maybe a different one, but it’s still there.”

“Shut up,” Invi said. “I want to hear what he has to say.”

Keben sank back to the ground, staring, not at Invi, but at the ground. “I am a dreamer. You are a dreamer. In that, we are alike. The rest,” he whispered, “is meaningless.”

“How?” Invi’s fur fluffed, and he stood, tail lashing as he paced, staring straight at Keben. “Everything has meaning. Dreams are merely a part of it all. Dreams,” he hissed, “are the meaningless part.”

“Never.” Keben rose, staring into Invi’s blind eyes. “That can never be true.” He turned, facing back towards the entrance, and strode off, disappearing into the darkness outside.

“Well,” Saying said. “That was interesting.”

Coru looked at her. “Yes. It was.”

Everyone fell silent then, save for the sounds of Invi’s pacing across the reed-covered floor and their own quiet breathing. Coru sighed, eventually, and curled up on the ground. There was nothing else to do, and he had no idea when he would get any more sleep after this. Invi’s pacing was rhythmic and soothing, and after a time, Coru fell asleep.

* * *

“Come on.” Keben’s voice, harsh and melodic at the same time, startled Coru awake. “It’s time to go. Sayang, you lead them. I’ll meet you there.”

“Yes, sir,” Sayang said as Keben left, Invi following close behind. They didn’t seem annoyed at each other anymore, which bugged Coru.

Looking at the others, she raised an eyebrow. “Well, you heard what he said. Time to go.”

Az bounded forward, and Sayang grinned, turning back to the tunnel without even waiting for Coru to get up. Coru sighed, dragging himself up and following along, at the edge of the light Sayang’s lantern cast. Snatches of conversation floated back to him, making him feel even more like falling back. He was the odd one out, for once. Now he understood more of how Invi felt all the time. And it wasn’t a good feeling. Not a good feeling at all.


	5. Allegro Agitato: Starlit Night

Az walked alongside Sayang, glancing at her stubborn face every ten paces or so. It was irritating, being so close to her, yet being unable to ask her anything. She intimidated him. Her rough clothing, stained by soot, her fingerless gloves made of tough leather, with scars and holes in them, the goggles she wore on her forehead that kept her bright red hair out of her eyes. She reminded him of a fiery version of himself.

And he was a touch scared of her. It _bothered_ him, fraggit.

“Come now, Azzy,” she said, startling him, “You want to talk. Out with it.”

“Um...” Az couldn’t form his thoughts into words. Technology was so much easier, in this regard. “I just wanted to know where we were going,” he said, his words lame even to his own ears.

Sayang grinned. “If Keben didn’t say it outright, neither will I. We’re going to a demonstration. That’s all you need to know.”

Az glared at her, but she didn’t seem to take any notice of it. “A demonstration of what, exactly?”

“Sloth’s might. Sloth’s glory. Something along those lines.” She shrugged. “Keben would know better. I don’t keep track of stuff as much as he does. I’m your counterpart, in a way. And before you ask; yes, Coru has a counterpart too. You’ll meet her soon enough.”

“What d’you mean, counterpart?”

“Weren’t you listening earlier?” Sayang ran a hand through her hair, ruffling it even more. “The dreamers. The planners. And us, the catalysts. The warriors, he should have said, but he hates that. I knew from how you fought those ‘bots that you were mine. You fight in a style that we haven’t seen since Sloth’s takeover.” Her voice quieted, and when Az glanced at her, she was looking away and down. “You use _their_ style.”

“Whose style?” Az asked, confused. “D’you mean the magic?”

“Yes. Of course I mean the magic!” Sayang’s head snapped back towards Az, her dark eyes blazing into his. “Don’t you get it? They’ve got Faerieland quarantined! We _can’t_ use magic!” Her voice dropped to a pained whisper. “That’s why we never got anywhere, trying to beat them. The Republic can’t do anything. We want to. But we can’t, because we can’t use magic.”

“Oh.” Az winced when the sound escaped his mouth. It sounded so useless, like he didn’t really care about Sayang’s troubles. But he couldn’t think of anything else to say. Sayang was quiet, and so was he. The silence felt awkward, but Az couldn’t think of any way to break it that didn’t seem stupid. And Sayang, it seemed, didn’t want to talk. She was looking down at the rocky ground, one hand holding the lantern, the other fiddling with something around her neck.

When they finally left the tunnel, Az was startled. The lantern-light was brighter than the sunlight. And there were people everywhere, all wearing the same kind of beaten up and stained clothing. The robots around the edges shone. Sayang snuffed the lantern, setting it inside the tunnel, next to another that was probably Keben’s. “Come on,” she said. “Keben’s waiting for us.”

She led the way, darting through the crowd. Az followed, hoping that Coru was behind him, like he should be. Though soon enough he stopped keeping track of Coru, instead focusing all his attention on keeping track of Sayang, his eyes on the ground and the crowd, so when she suddenly stopped, he ran into her. 

“Fraggit,” she muttered. “The others are up ahead, but this as close as we can get.”

Coru spoke from behind Az, making the Draik jump. “Someone explain to me why splitting up was a good idea. It seems to have caused more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Because we have no other choice,” Sayang said. “Now look up there. This is what we came to see.”

Az looked. He heard Coru start swearing under his breath, and wanted to join him. Up on the platform, there was a blue Xweetok in clothing just as ragged as the rest, if not more. She was bound, each paw roped and tied to a different pole. A mutant Lupe stood next to her, his scarred face expressionless. “Friends, allies, and registered guests,” he said, his voice echoing through the suddenly silent plaza, “we gather here today to affirm Sloth’s dominion over the known world.”

The Lupe paused, probably for dramatic effect. “This Xweetok, who calls herself Setia -”

“Set!” the Xweetok yelled, cutting the Lupe off. Stifled laughter could be heard throughout the crowd. Az noted that Sayang didn’t say anything. Her expression, when he glanced at it, was dark, and her fists were clenched.

“Gag the prisoner,” the Lupe said to a guard nearby. He turned back to face the crowd. “Setia has proven herself an enemy to the Grand Empire of Our Lord Sloth. In accordance to the laws set down in the First Year of Our Lord Sloth’s reign, she will be... disposed of.” The Lupe bared his teeth in what could almost be called a smile. “And you are here to witness it! Long live Lord Sloth!”

The crowd roared in response. Az growled. “I refuse to let this happen.”

“So don’t. You have the wings and the blasted magic to stop it.”

Surprised, Az looked at Sayang. She was glaring at him. “Go!” she snapped.

Az leapt, spreading his wings. The roaring crowd instantly quieted, broken only by gasps of surprise and cries of outrage. Az smiled. “Come and get me!” he cried, his voice carrying over every other noise. The winged robots were already coming after him; a swarm of Korbats, a flight of Eyries, and even a few Draiks like himself. Az just laughed, diving down towards the ground.

The robots followed. Az skimmed just above the heads of the crowd, his insane laughter echoing as everyone ducked out of his way. He could hear the robots blaring warning messages. He didn’t care. The edge of the plaza was coming up, one of those metal walls looming. Az spun, pulling up, his mane brushing against the wall. The robots weren’t so lucky. He could hear, could feel, the explosions below him.

Diving towards the platform, Az’s laughter quieted. It was time to focus. There were only a few ‘bots left, and those could wait. The Lupe was shouting something about Sloth, but Az ignored him. He’d be dealt with soon enough, after all. Az hit the platform, letting loose a blast of fire that knocked the Lupe away and melted parts of the platform.

Leaping and spinning in midair, Az turned on the ‘bots that still followed him. Blue-white fire blasted them, melted them. None survived. All the robots down in the crowd were trying to keep it controlled. It didn’t seem to be working. Az gave a predatory smile, darting over to the Xweetok.

Focused streams of fire melted her bindings, though the chains still dangled from her paws. “C’mon,” Az growled. “Let’s go.”

“Keben brought you.” The Xweetok didn’t move at all. She just watched him with golden eyes.

Az sighed, disgusted. “S’yang. Na ca’ we go?”

The Xweetok leapt onto his back without another word, clinging to the mane on his back. Az dove off the platform, wings fully extended to try and compensate for her weight. It worked, barely. Az landed on the hard ground, bouncing and rolling, the Xweetok falling off his back. “Follow me!” she cried, landing on her feet and darting off.

Az growled, leaping after her. “Where th’ flame are ya goin’?”

“Somewhere safe,” she shouted, not turning a bit. “Where else?”

“Ha’ sh’ I know?”

“You’re worse than Sayang!”

“Shaddup!”

They wove around a cluster of Krawks, darted through a flight of Pteri, dodged an angry Grarrl, and almost ran into Keben, Invi, Sayang, and Coru. “This way!” Keben called, and they were off again. Now, however, Az had an objective: Keep that blasted mage in sight. It wasn’t that easy, even with his bright white fur. The sheer number of people fleeing from the plaza made it difficult to keep him in sight.

Fortunately, it was quite easy for him to keep Sayang in sight. She seemed to be pacing him, keeping next to him in the same way he saw Invi shadowing Keben, or Coru and the Xweetok – Set? Was that her name? – sticking together, their brown forms almost becoming one. Sayang seemed to be enjoying the run, a fierce grin on her face. Az suspected his expression was similar to hers. Danger of any sort excited him, after all.

Finally, the six of them clustered together. Nobody else was in sight. Keben, Sayang, and Set were still running, and so they must continue to follow their guides. Az would have sighed, if they hadn’t been running. “How much further are we going?” he asked, not really caring who responded.

“As far as we need to go,” Sayang said, not seeming at all winded, unlike Az, Invi, or especially Coru. “Keben’s the only one who knows, and he won’t say anything, so don’t bother asking.”

Az rolled his eyes, but kept running.

When Keben did stop, it was at a door much like the one Sayang had brought them to after the robot incident earlier: featureless, in a row of other featureless doors. Like Sayang had done then, Keben opened it and gestured them inside. Set lead the way, Coru right behind her. Az glanced at Sayang, and she grinned at him, giving him a mocking bow. “You first, Azzy.” Az resisted the urge to stick his tongue out and entered the passage.

The soft sound of a flame igniting came from behind him, and Az glanced back to see Sayang holding a lantern that looked like the one they’d had before the demonstration. She started walking, passing him and leading him through the twists and turns. Ahead, he could sometimes see the light of Set’s lantern, but more often than not, there was a corner in the way. Az followed Sayang silently, unnerved by Invi and Keben. He knew they were behind him, but he hadn’t seen any light from back where they walked.

When the passage finally ended after an indeterminable amount of time, Az breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Sayang glanced at him and shook her head. “You get used to them, eventually,” she said. “And no speaking. We’re meeting Proteus himself now.”

“Who-”

“No speaking, I said.”

Az shut up, as much as he wanted to question her. Set and Coru were waiting, just ahead of him, and Coru seemed just as uncomfortable as he felt. Az hissed, trying to calm himself down. Sayang just watched him, obviously amused, which didn’t help at all. In the end, Az just gave up and glared at her. She grinned and shook her head.

“Come.”

Az jumped at the sound of Keben’s voice. Sayang laughed at him, and Az whacked her with his tail as he turned to follow the mages. In retaliation, he felt her pinch his wing. Az ignored that. They were approaching a well-lit cave, and inside, he suspected, was Proteus. Whoever that was.

Keben paused at the entrance, bowing. “Proteus, I present to you those whom I dreamed would return sunlight to this realm: Invidere, the shadowed Eyrie who is my reflection. Azimuth, the dark Draik who mirrors Sayang. And Coruscatus, the earthen Kougra who is matched by Set.” He turned back to them. “And to you, may I present Proteus, the leader of the Traitor Republic.”


	6. Andante Maestoso: Midnight Sun

Coru leaned forward, trying to see the leader of the Republic. He felt two small paws on his back, followed by a push that sent him stumbling into the cavern. Beside him, Az seemed to be getting the same treatment. Invi, of course, entered on his own, without needing prodding. Proteus, from what he could see in the light of the cave, was a Scorchio. And after a moment of blinking, Coru realized what had been bugging him: Proteus, leader of the Traitor Republic, was a mutant.

“Keben,” he said, “tell me about these people.” He peered down from his perch halfway up the cavern wall. “One of them seems to be blind.”

“Yes, I am,” Invi said. “And I dislike being spoken about as if I were not in the room.”

Coru groaned, looking over at him. Az was nodding agreement to what Invi had said. Coru sympathized, yes, but he wasn’t going to say it in front of someone as obviously important as this.

“My apologies, Invidere,” Proteus said mildly. “I shall not do it again.” He rose, gliding down to where they stood. Coru stepped back as he landed, and Proteus shook his head. “Yes, I am a mutant. Yes, Sloth made me what I am. But what I am is a leader, a leader of those in the rebellion. What my goal is now, is to understand you, utilize you, and forge a new way to live. So tell me, what powers do you hold?”

Coru stared at Proteus. Silence echoed throughout the cavern for a few moments before Az, as Coru suspected he would, broke it. By laughing.

Coru shook his head, sighing. “I’m sorry about Az. It’s just -”

“There is no need to apologize,” Proteus said. “So long as you speak, and tell me what I wish to know, all will be fine.” He smiled, his expression changing completely; he barely looked like a mutant anymore. “Would you like to go first, Coruscatus?”

“I-” Coru stopped, sighed, and started again. “What do you want to know, anyway?”

“Start with your powers, that sort of thing.” Proteus shrugged. “Along with whatever else you think we might need to know.”

“What do you consider powers?” Coru asked. “The others have more magic than I do.” Seeing Proteus’s mouth open, Coru cut him off with the wave of a paw. “Though yes, that is more than most people here have, it seems.”

“What do you posses?”

“As I said, not much.” Coru bit his lip, thinking. “I’m earth and nature. Az is darkness and light. Invi is just... himself. A dreamer, Keben called him, and I’m inclined to agree with that. He sees, but he’s blind.” Coru paused and shook his head. “But you asked about me. I know nature in every degree it is possible to know it. That’s probably not much use here, from what I’ve seen, though. The only true magic I have is the ability to fade from sight, to blend in with what’s around me. It’s easier when the surroundings match my fur, which is why being in a forest is nice. Lots of browns there.”

“That’s... quite the useful power,” Proteus murmured. “Azimuth?”

“Huh?”

Coru stifled a laugh at Az’s tone. Looking over at the Draik, he saw the reason behind Az’s tone: Sayang had an evil grin on her face, and Az was staring at her, though now he quickly turned towards Proteus

“Oh. Yeah.” Pausing for a moment, Az bit his lip. “Um. Darkness and light. Balance. My form is the darkness, my magic, the light. And fire.” Az grinned. “Lots of fire. Also got a chain reaction from the fire thing that seems to let me tune into electricity. Useful with techno stuff.”

Proteus nodded. “I’m sure it is,” he said, very politely. “But what do you mean by the first part? The darkness and light.”

“Eh. Nothing much. My fire is white-hot, when I want it to be.” Az paused, looking thoughtful for once. “I think I could do other stuff. Gindara said so, anyway, but I’ve never really cared to test it, since she also said that it’d be dangerous to everything around me.”

“Good. Very, very, good. Invidere?”

“I am as Coruscatus named me,” Invi said softly. “A dreamer, a seer, a path for other powers to take. That, not my own ability, was how we arrived in this world. The words to activate the sunburst came to my mouth, making me speak them.”

“Do you have anything to add?” Proteus asked, looking behind Coru and the others, to where Keben, Sayang, and Set stood.

“Yes,” Keben said. “He’s got the Sight.”

“Invidere?”

“Of course. And Darkling over there is a perfect match for Sayang, even if she won’t admit it.”

“Hey! Shut up, you!”

“No fighting,” Proteus said, though he sounded amused. “Now take these three and let them rest. Explain, if you wish, what we’ve been planning, what we want them to help us with.” He turned and leapt off the ground, soaring back up to the perch where he had been when they entered.

Coru turned to Set, raising an eyebrow. “So, now what?”

“Now,” she said, “we go get some sleep before Proteus starts talking about everything. Oh, and I suppose I’ll explain a couple things to you, too. Now follow me.” Set turned and started running in one smooth movement. Coru sighed, exasperated, and began running after the Xweetok. He wondered if everything here had to be done at high speed, or if it was simply that these people were so used to scampering for cover that it influenced their daily life.

Not that having prophesied time-travels was exactly normal, of course, but even so. This Set girl had the energy of—of a sugar-high Beekadoodle! Coru was hard pressed to keep up with her, as she literally bounced off the walls to turn corners. And when she disappeared into a side passage, Coru slammed into a wall trying to stop. Wincing and muttering about Set being just as crazy as Az, Coru followed her into the hole. It was a fine size for Set, but she seemed to have forgotten that he was twice her size.

“Come on,” Set said. “It can’t be that hard, can it?”

“You forget, you’re tiny,” Coru growled, shoving himself the rest of the way through. Now, laying on the ground, he looked around. “This your place? It’s nice.” It was. It was clean, well-lit, and had pillows piled everywhere.

Set nodded, sending her blue hair flying into her face. Brushing it back out of her eyes, Set started talking. “Yup. I’m one of the few people who can fit easily, so I got to claim it.” She titled her head to the side, and some of her hair drifted back down into her face. “You want the explanation now?”

“Sure,” Coru said, padding over to some of the pillows and settling down in them. “Keben and Sayang already explained the history of this place.”

“Good. I don’t like history.” Set closed her eyes. “I’m part of the planning. I know all the details that nobody else does. I’m your counterpart, for whatever reason. You’re supposed to be just as good at what I do as I am.”

Coru raised his eyebrows. “Attention to detail and the voice of reason. Does that count?”

“Sure. Better than your friends, anyway.” Set made a face. “Azimuth... what was he thinking, rescuing me like that?”

“I don’t think he was thinking that much.”

Set glared at him, and Coru shut up. “Anyway,” Set said, “our plan so far is to try and rescue the Faeries. We know they’re still there, just stuck. Gifts like Keben’s dreaming, or Sayang’s ability to dodge, come from them. We have the bare bones of a plan, but we couldn’t implement it. We didn’t have enough power to. Then Keben dreamed you, and we knew that you would be the source of the power we need. Mostly the Draik. There’s a reason Keben called him the catalyst, after all.”

“That’s all very nice,” Coru said. “And I’m sure we’ll get into all that later, but do I get to sleep before this meeting?”

“Of course! I’ll even shut up now!”

“And turn off all those lights?” Coru said, hopeful. Set nodded, and in a few seconds, they were out. “’night, Set,” Coru mumbled.

“Sleep well,” she said, and it seemed like there was laughter in her voice. Coru was about to ask why, but before he could, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A sudden influx of light woke Coru. Opening his eyes, he saw Set there, her tail swishing impatiently. “Come on and get up. It’ll take you long enough to squeeze back out as it is.” Coru rolled his eyes, but stood, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. The entrance was smaller on this side than the tunnel side, so it shouldn’t be that hard, anyway.

He was right. It didn’t take him as long to get through as before, and once he was out of the way, Set followed quickly, and set off at a relatively slow pace, bounding down the corridor. Coru sighed, loping after her. If she was his counterpart, he wondered why she did everything at high speed, while he moved as slowly as he could. It was probably a mystery that would forever remain unanswered. Not that that mattered much.

Pausing up ahead, Set looked back at him. “Come on, slow-poke! You don’t want to be the last one there, do you?”

Coru rolled his eyes and sped up, racing after the agile little Xweetok that was so like, and yet unlike, him.


	7. Andante: Coming Dawn

Invidere liked this world. Or, more to the point, he liked Keben. Keben did not make a point out of his blindness, and compensated for it only when necessary, such as describing things that others would easily know for themselves. In return, he dropped his usual sarcasm and intentionally biting tone. Though now that he was being led to the meeting, he suspected that both would return.

They entered to a room that was almost silent. What broke it, unsurprisingly, was the conversation Az and Sayang were having. Thankfully, they were talking quietly, though the occasional burst of sound would come from their direction. Keben guided Invidere to the table, and they both sat down, waiting silently for the meeting to begin. Shortly thereafter, it did.

“Everyone here?” Proteus asked.

“O’ course we are,” Sayang said, breaking off her conversation with Azimuth. “Y’ told us t’ be here on time, an’ so we are.”

“Formalities, Sayang.” Proteus sounded amused. “And now that we have satisfied them, shall we begin?”

Soft rustling noises followed. Invidere suspected that everyone was nodding.

“Good,” Proteus said, his voice more serious now. “Now, has anyone not been filled in on the basic plan?”

Silence.

Proteus sounded satisfied as he spoke. “Set, lead the meeting. You know the plan as well as I do, if not better.”

“’kay.” There was a soft thud, most likely Setia jumping onto the table. “You know why we’re gathered here. We just need your help to find the best ways to use your abilities when we assault Sloth’s forces in Faerieland. Right now, our plan goes like this: Sayang, aided by Azimuth, will lead the assault. This is the key to everything. If the assault doesn’t succeed, the entire plan fall into dust. You will need to take care of Sloth’s robots. I don’t care what you do to them, so long as they’re out of the way.”

There was a pause, without the interruption Invidere had expected from Azimuth.

Setia resumed speaking, and Invidere could hear her pacing on the table. “Once we’ve gotten the signal that the robots are taken care of, Corus and I will lead the second wave to secure Faerieland’s borders, while Sayang and Azimuth continue deeper in and begin freeing the Faeries. Keben and Invidere will be leading the support troops. The healers, the dreamers, that sort of thing. We don’t want any of them to get hurt. They will also guard the base, to ensure that it doesn’t get taken, no matter what.”

Setia paused again. “Any questions?”

“I’ve got one.” Azimuth. “What happens if there’re more of them than we thought, and you need to bring in the backup early? How do we signal you?”

“You’re th’ tech-boy!” Sayang’s voice rang out over any reply Set might have made. “We got what you’d call Virtupets tech. Now, it’s pretty obsolete, but it still works fine. Comm units. We don’t have enough for ev’ryone, but we’ve got enough for ev’ry leader an’ their subordinates.”

“What are we supposed to be doing?” Invidere was surprised to hear his own voice. Slowly, thinking it out as he went, he continued. “You say that we are to guard this place, but also that we are to be in control of the healers. Should not the healers be with you, Setia?”

“Set,” Setia said.

Invidere heard the annoyance in her voice and ignored it, continuing to speak. “As you said, you lead the support troops. You will be close enough to the battle for the healers to be useful, which I suspect they will not be if we keep them back here. The dreamers and the other noncombatants? Of course they stay back. I will not argue that. But Setia, does that not make sense?”

“Stop calling me Setia. And it does make sense.” She paused. “This is probably the result of the plan being changed too much in a short amount of time. Anything else?”

“Yes,” Invidere said. “How will you know where the Faeries are kept? It is not the sort of thing Sloth would let the people know.”

“We don’t know. We’re hoping that they can be founded fairly easily, though.”

“I have a solution to that. Let me come with your group, Setia. I -”

Before he could continue, he heard a growl. Invidere ducked. It did not help. “My name,” Setia growled, her sharp claws digging into his back, “is Set. Not Setia. Never Setia. Set.”

“Back off, Set.” Keben’s soft voice rolled over Invidere, and he sighed. Cooling, calming water. That was always what Keben’s voice reminded him of. “He always calls people by their full names, even when they would prefer otherwise. It’s part of his being.”

Set hissed. “That doesn’t mean I need to like it.”

“Then explain to him while you dislike that name.” Keben’s hand rested on Invidere’s shoulder. “And please get off of him. It’s not very nice.”

Setia jumped off, and Invidere suspected she tried to push down on him as hard as she could, from the bruising force she used. “I’m not explaining,” she said. “Just stop calling me that, please.”

Invidere sighed. “Since I must, I will shorten your name, but Setia still has a more beautiful sound.”

“I still prefer Set. Now, what were you saying?”

“That I have the ability to sense auras.” Invidere smiled slightly. “I cannot move around as easily while doing so, however. But I’m sure that I can get a guide.”

Beside him, he felt Keben move. “Set, before you declare someone to be his guide, I’m willing to take that role.”

“As you wish.” Setia paused. “Anything else?”

“How large are their forces?” Sayang asked, her voice crisp and clear.

“We aren’t sure, but last time we checked, they had ten patrols of twenty spread across the airspace and a fairly large force on the clouds themselves. The patrols may have changed, however, so we must be wary.”

“Where will we be waiting?” Coruscatus spoke, tension in his voice. Invidere nodded to himself. Coruscatus wasn’t a warrior anymore than Invidere himself was, but he was being forced into the role, whether he liked it or not.

“Faerieland should be floating over the desert, more or less. We’ll wait with some of the nomads.” Setia paused. “That everything? Okay. Get ready. We’re moving out tomorrow morning.” Setia leapt off the table, her paws barely making any noise as the others began to talk.

Invidere rose, feeling the light touch of Keben's hand on his shoulder leading him out of the room. They walked in silence, listening to the soft sounds of the others talking. Or the not so soft sounds, in Azimuth and Sayang's case. They were practically shouting at each other. Invidere tried to ignore them, but only managed to tune out the words themselves, not the noise created. They were arguing about the most ridiculous thing, too, from what little he’d heard. Something about which of them would win in a duel to the death.

Then they were far enough away so that Invidere could only hear the echoes of that conversation, as well as many others. The babble was easy enough to ignore, though he rarely was around enough people for it to matter. Keben's hand on his shoulder guided him, and Invidere gave the Zafara his complete trust, following his every movement. A soft word, a warning grip, a simple tap of direction; he would obey all direction given.

With that trust, it was easy to be silent, reveling in a feeling that he had never truly known before.

Only when they reached Keben's room did Invidere lose that light touch. He heard Keben settling down and did so himself, lying on the soft mats that covered the ground. His head was resting on his paws when Keben spoke. “That was an interesting conversation.”

“All conversations are interesting, in some way or another,” Invidere said, raising his head to ‘look’ towards Keben. “Some are just more interesting than others.”

“I was talking about the one Azimuth and Sayang were having as we walked out.”

“Oh. Yes.” Invidere shook his head. “That was odd, even for Azimuth.”

“Or Sayang, for that matter.” There was a slight creaking noise. Keben leaning forward? “Death. Competition. Neither of those are things for the dreamer.” A pause. “Why did you want to go in search of the Faeries? You don't need to, after all.”

“I should.” Invidere hesitated. There were multiple reasons why he had agreed to it, but only one that he was willing to share. “I can find them more easily than anyone else.”

“That still doesn't mean you need to risk yourself. You're blind.”

“Sort of,” Invidere said. “Not completely, except in sight.”

“And sight is what most people think of.” Keben sighed, changing the subject. “Why did you keep calling Set by her full name, even after she corrected you?”

“It's her name,” Invidere said, surprised. “Yes, her preference is to not use it, but even so, it is hers.”

“That's rather mean.”

“Not in my opinion.”

“You don't like anyone, do you?”

“Not so,” Invidere said softly, almost hoping that Keben wouldn't hear him. “I like you.”


	8. Moderato Agitato: First Light

Az paced, running his fingers through his hair and the battle plan through his head. Go there, do that, wait for that signal, and hope that you’re good at getting out of the way. Being good at fighting helps, too. Az smiled, remembering Sayang’s advice to the troops. Don’t get shot. Simple and obvious, but it had made everyone laugh, in the pre-fight nervousness. It was that same nervousness that consumed him now, and the reason why he was pacing across the hot desert sands.

“Sir?” A green Eyrie saluted him as Az turned. Damian, he remembered the Eyrie being called. His second in command. “Time to go.”

Az looked around, checking his flight. Everyone who had formed up around him was in place, with all their gear strapped on securely. “Ready?” he asked, though he already knew the answer. The word came back at him, though, repeated by the eleven mouths of his flight. “Let’s go!” he cried, spreading his wings as he leapt off the hot desert sands.

He doubted they’d encounter any resistance until they got to Faerieland itself. Sayang had said that the desert was unguarded, for the most part. There was too much territory to cover. The nomads survived for that reason. Az sighed, thinking of the caravan that they’d used as a base camp. The children there were normal, as much as that counted for in this world.

The desert was a good place to fly, though. The thermals were better than any Az had ridden before. They were glorious, sensual, an almost physical presence beneath his wings. Before he had laughed with pure joy as he rode them. Now, he simply reminded himself of their mission. He shouldn’t need such reminding. He had a sword at his side, along with two lasers. Virtupets parts combined with the Republic’s ingenuity led to such wonderfully powerful weapons.

Of course, anyone they faced would have the same advantage, but so what? Technology was great, after all. Az smiled, fangs showing. This would be a whole lot of fun. They were nearing the clouds of Faerieland, and Az thought he could make out the dark dots of the robots flying on patrol. Glancing behind him, Az resisted the urge to laugh in sheer glee. He was at the point of the arrowhead, everyone arranged behind him.

One minute, two. The dots were defined now. Three, four. Az placed his hands on his lasers. Five, six. He drew the lasers, and knew that everyone else would, too. Seven, eight. Deep, calming breaths. They were almost there. Nine, ten. “Attack!” Az yelled, as loud as he could.

And everyone – every _thing_ – moved.

Az let himself fly on pure instinct, going towards the robots as fast as he could. He could see the surge of his army, the smaller, faster, unladen members gaining on the laden, slower, stronger, ones. It was a wave, and he rode it, letting the energy inherent in it propel him forwards. A Shoyru, robotic and at the head of its own flight, blared a warning at them, something about nobody being allowed near Faerieland. It was shot down within moments of starting to talk.

After that, there were no warnings. There was simply destruction, on both sides. Cries, metallic shrieks, shouts of warning and of victory. It all became a blur. Az’s world focused on the enemy directly in front of him, spun as another entered his vision, shot both at once, darted upwards as quickly as he could, and dove down again, all in the space of a minute, maybe two. Chaos. The thought somehow penetrated his degenerating mind. Chaos was what war was made of. Chaos, pain, and sorrow.

Chaos. The spin and turn, weave and dodge, try and avoid your opponent, shoot for them, hope you hit. Loop around, fire again, on a different enemy. Shout a warning to an ally in trouble, but keep fighting your own opponents. There was no time for anything else. Focus on what was in front of you, but pay attention to everything, whether you think it matters or not.

Pain. A burst of it flowered on his tail, and Az spun, roaring, his fire incinerating the Korbat that had shot him. Az’s wings were seared by near misses, his hands cramped from holding onto the lasers so tightly. His ears hurt from the clamor. And his heart hurt.

Sorrow. The amount of pain, the number of bodies falling, being unable to tell whether the bodies were friend or foe. Hoping, desperately, that they were foes, or friends simply wounded, going to be rescued and taken care of. Hoping, even when there wasn’t a chance. Like when a friend was shot in front of his eyes. Az roared as that happened. A barrier within him broke, and he felt himself change. Black skin, but white eyes and white fire that surrounded him, protected him.

A lean, agile body, like that of a Kougra. Swiftness equal to a Kyrii’s. But still, as ever, his white fire. He laughed as the surge of power washed over him, and fought on He shot without thinking, dodged without moving. And he breathed white fire.

Nothing came near him by choice. Not even those on his own side. Oh, he knew them well enough. His targets were those who wore metal on their bodies, who moved without any choice. And he flew to them, shot at them, found them wherever they chose to hide.

Only when there was nothing left did he land, panting, on the clouds. He staggered as the rush of power subsided, leaving him barely able to stand. A warm hand, concealed by a fingerless glove, caught his arm, supporting him.

“Figures tha’ ya’d be half-killin’ yerself f’ this,” Sayang said, definitely amused.

Az turned to her, grinning. “It was worth it.”

“For you, idiot.” She stared at him, shook her head, and hugged him, squeezing the breath out of him. “Idiot. Y’ should be dead, wi’ all th’ stories they’re telling about you.”

“An’ y’ ain’t happy tha’ they ain’t telling th’ truth?” Az mumbled, trying to simultaneously hug Sayang, talk, and get his breath back. “Y’ shoul’ be, by th’ sounds o’ it.”

“Idiot,” Sayang said again, releasing him. She looked at him, still shaking her head. “Yer an idiot, Azzy. C’mon, I got t’ take you to th’ rest.”

Grabbing his arm again, she started jogging, not giving Az time to protest. Az simply tried to keep moving at her pace, which, though slow for her, was plenty fast for him right then. He wasn’t even looking at anything except the ground-clouds beneath his feet. If he tried to look elsewhere, he’d trip, he was sure.

“She found him!”

Az looked up. He recognized that voice. “Damian?” he managed to say, right before falling on his face. Judging by the laughter, everyone found this quite amusing. Sayang pulled him back to his feet, and Az looked over the people Sayang had taken him to. His flight, all alive and more-or-less whole

“Hello, Drake,” one of them said. A young yellow Shoyru, Az found, looking for the source. He looked sort of ashamed, for some reason. “Glad you’re alive.”

“Drake?” Az asked, curious where that nickname had come from.

“Old Shenkuu legend,” the Shoyru said. “About a warrior who could beat anyone else. And that’s what you are, sir.” He smiled a little.

Az returned the smile. “Tell me the legend, after this is all over,” he said, turning back to the city they stood in. “We still need to clear all of this out.”

“Y’ ain’t going back in there,” Sayang said, her grip on his arm proving her seriousness. “If I let go o’ ya, you’ll jus’ fall down.”

“She’s right, sir.” Az glared at Damian as the Eyrie spoke. “You aren’t fit for duty.”

Az sighed. “Fine. Then you’re staying with me, Sayang.”

“Gladly.” Surprised, Az looked at her. She scowled at him before turning on the troops. “Go on, all of you! He’s right, the city does need clearing.”

There were assorted murmurs of acknowledgement, and Az watched his flight move out, moonlight gleaming on their forms. “What was that all about?” he asked, not looking at Sayang. She’d released him, after taking him to a wall he could lean against.

“Nothing,” Sayang muttered. Az looked back towards her. She wasn’t looking at him at all. She was staring at the clouds beneath their feet. “Nothing at all.”

“Come on. There’s got to be something.”

“It. Is. Nothing.” Sayang turned towards him. Az flinched at the expression on her face. “Believe me.”

“Fine. Then can you tell me the stories you heard? I’m –” A large explosion, followed by a wave of purple light, cut off Az’s words. He looked at Sayang, whose expression was now one of awe.

“They did it,” she whispered. “They freed the Faeries.”

“Good. Can we go home and sleep now?” Az asked hopefully.

Sayang turned to him and smiled. “Of course.”


	9. Moderato Expressivo: Sunrise

It was over. It was all over. Coru sighed blissfully, closing his eyes. A normal day. He’d soon get a normal, boring, day. And it would be wonderful. All chirping birds and soft wind blowing through leaves, with the sun warming his fur. He’d stalk through the woods, practicing his skills for no reason than because he wanted to. It would be wonderful.

“You can’t sleep forever.”

“Shut up, Set.” Coru opened his eyes, looking at the Xweetok. “What do you want?”

“Proteus is holding a ceremony to reward all of those who helped take Faerieland,” Set said, turning to leave. “And he said you three could go after that.”

Coru nodded, his joy muted as he got up and followed Set. They hadn’t even been in this time very long, but it still felt like a home to him. The scent that had so bothered him when they’d first arrived was now barely noticeable. People he had never known before had become his best friends. Like Set. Little Set, who could be fiercer than either of his brothers. Coru smiled, looking at her.

But then he looked at the building Set was leading him to, and his smile faded. The Faerie Palace. The new headquarters for the Republic, and the staging area for whatever this ceremony was. The huge pink and purple doors opened as they approached, and inside, they were met by a young Light Faerie. She bowed and smiled, and led them to a room where Invi and Keben were already waiting.

None of them talked, yet there were some things that still passed, unspoken, between them. Keben’s hand was entangled in Invi’s mane, and the sunburst pendant shone like fire upon Invi’s dark breast. It gleamed, seeming to taunt Coru. It seemed to ask him what he would have done differently, if he had known its power. Coru looked away from it, not wanting to face what it stood for.

The door opened once more, and a Fire Faerie ushered Sayang and Az inside. The pair was unusually quiet, neither speaking. They weren’t looking at each other, either. They moved to opposite ends of the room, Sayang sitting by Keben and Invi, Az by Coru and Set. And still, nobody spoke. The silence was a sorrowful one, not an oppressing one. Everyone seemed to be utterly inside their own thoughts.

And when a knock came on the door, everyone stood at once. The door opened, and Damian stood there. Az perked up at that, a smile on his face. The Eyrie bowed to Az before addressing the room. “Proteus is ready for you. Please follow me.”

Silence returned as they walked, Sayang and Az slowly drifting back together. Coru wondered if either of them were doing it on purpose. He rather doubted it, after how they had intentionally separated themselves in the waiting room. Trying to distract himself from his own thoughts, though, Coru looked around him, trying to see all the details that went into the Faerie Palace, but failing. There was too much to take in all at once. It was all pink and purple, with silver and gold accents.

Soon enough another set of doors, seeming just as massive as the one that they had entered the palace through, loomed before them. Damian opened them without ceremony, and stood aside to let them through. Coru’s eyes tried to shut at the sudden light that shone from inside, but he peered in nonetheless. He stepped forward with Set, the wave of her tail clue enough as to what he should do.

His paws landed on soft carpet, so deep and smooth that it felt like he was in water. He tried not to look around, to see all the faces that watched him. He kept his eyes on the carpet, on the dark purple’s contrast against its golden edging and the silver stones of the floor. He could feel Set next to him, her tail swishing so that it hit his body. He couldn’t tell whether or not what Set did was intentional, but it didn’t matter too much right then.

The carpet ended. Coru ascended the steps, now unable to avoid looking at those at their top. Proteus and Fyora stood there, equals in their leadership. Both were smiling so much that it was hard to avoid reacting to them with joy. Coru smiled at them as he and Set reached the top of the steps and turned to their left, taking a few paces before stopping and facing the leaders.

To his side, he could see Az and Sayang come, turn to the right, and stop. And then came the dreamers. They seemed the most comfortable with what was going on, for some reason or another. Keben still guided Invi, though Coru wondered how necessary it was now.

“Friends and allies,” Proteus said, his voice ringing out over the silence. “We gather here today to give our thanks to the heroes who came from another time and those who became their closest friends.” Gesturing to his right, Proteus continued. “Let us start with those named the Planners. Coruscatus organized the mop-up of those robots that survived our initial assault and joined the Faeries in making sure that their blast had finished the rest.

“Setia Reficul, called Set, was the person who planned our initial assault. She was responsible for the attack pattern, for the timing, for the set up, and most of all, for being determined that it would work, despite the odds.” Proteus smiled. “And her faith paid off. Let them now be awarded the Brightvalian Crest of Knowledge.” 

Coru stepped forward with Set, and Fyora set the crest around his neck at the same time as Proteus did so for Set. They bowed, and stepped back without turning. The crowd cheered, a massive wave of sound crashing down on them. Coru winced, wishing he could be outside once more.

“And now, the Dreamers.” Proteus’s voice cut through the cheering, which quickly faded. “Invidere, who activated the amulet that brought us our heroes. Invidere, who, though blind, braved the fields of war to help us find the Faeries as quickly as we could. Invidere, who deserves more thanks, but for whom I can think of nothing more to say.

“Keben Cian, our Dreamer of Dreams. He dreamed of our heroes. He brought us our hope that things would change, and change soon. Keben, whose quiet voice of reason has saved us many-a-time. Keben, without whose warnings I, and many others, would be dead. To them, let the Crown of Wisdom be given.”

Invi stepped forward, every bit as sure as Keben was. Coru watched, quiet, as the ‘crown’ was set on their heads. It wasn’t really a crown. It was styled after Altadorian fashion, with the laurel wreath wrought in silver, and five points, each topped by a different gem, peeking out from the top. The dreamers bowed, returning to their places as the crowd cheered.

Proteus seemed to wait longer before cutting them off this time. And when he did, it was with a raised hand, not his voice. Only once the room was quiet did he begin to talk. “I know you all wish me to continue, to give our praises to the warriors, the Catalysts. But first, let my thanks go to all of you. You are the heart and soul of the Republic, and without you, this would be no more than a fleeting dream in someone’s head.”

Applause, easily cut through by his voice, followed. “Now, let me thank the Catalysts!” Cheering, too loud to be stopped, and Coru grinned, looking over at Az. The Draik seemed embarrassed. Sayang seemed amused. The cheers were almost loud enough for individual calls to be heard, now. Proteus sighed and shook his head. Coru grinned at the Scorchio, amused. And when the cheers finally died, Proteus began again.

“First, let us thank Sayang. Her efforts to direct military action, both in this most recent battle and in others, have saved many of our lives. Her grasp of tactics is something to be grateful for, as is her knowledge of strategy. Her contributions to our dream have been many and varied, and all things to be thankful for.

“Last, but certainly not least by how you’ve been cheering him, let us thank Azimuth the Drake!”

At least he knows enough to stop there, Coru thought, and let the crowd shout themselves hoarse. It would be useless to try and stop them.

“He led you to battle, he fought your war.” Proteus spoke quietly, forcing the crowd to be silent. “He changed himself using magic that was lost to us. He was something to be feared by friend and foe alike. And he came through it without dying. He came through it with barely a scratch. And he is now to be known forever in our history as the Drake.

“Let the Catalysts be awarded the title of Knights Royal!”

Az led Sayang forward, both kneeling in front of Proteus. Coru grinned despite himself, seeing the bright steel of the sword lowered to his shoulders and his brow. And, most of all, at the tabard given to him. It was bright white, and had a white belt to go with it. Az bowed to Proteus, putting it on as the same ceremony was preformed on Sayang.

And then, once Az and Sayang were back in place, all six of them turned as one, to allow everyone gathered to cheer them, to shout for them, to celebrate the joy of winning a battle that they thought was impossible to win.


	10. Moderato: Sunlight

Az sighed. Two days had passed since the ceremony. Two days had passed between the battle and the ceremony. And now they needed to go home. And he wasn’t sure if he wanted to. But then again, seeing how Invi was acting, he doubted the Eyrie was sure, either. Coru, of course, wanted to go home. Az was sure of that. But they were leaving today at sunset, no matter what people wanted.

Question was, how long would it take for everyone to say goodbye?

Too long, he’d decided. He’d said goodbye to the army already. Now he just had to say goodbye to Sayang. And that involved finding her, something that was entirely too difficult. But he couldn’t leave without finding her, and searching was getting annoying. Glancing up at the sun, he cursed. He’d been at this since noon, and it was nearing sunset now, with no sign of her.

Turning, Az began to retrace his steps, heading back for the area in front of the palace where he, Coru, and Invi had agreed to meet. The purple and pink and tan of the buildings around him clashed, both against his mood and against the pristine white of the clouds, and he growled as he wove back through them. When he found Sayang, he’d do... something to her to make up for how she avoided him like this.

But that also involved finding his way back through the maze of buildings. Hissing, Az spread his wings, leaping up above the obstacles. It was easy enough, after that, to get back. And it was easy enough to spot Sayang, her brown clothing and red fur dark against the purple rooftops. Halting, almost hovering in midair, Az turned to her, gliding slowly towards her.

“Hey,” he said, landing beside her. She was sitting curled up, arms around her legs, and chin on her arms, staring at nothing. “I wanted to say goodbye. We’re going to leave soon.”

She didn’t speak.

Az looked towards her. “Sayang, you’ve known this was coming since we won Faerieland back.”

“That doesn’t mean I need to like it.” Sayang stared down at her hands. “I want you to stay here. We need you.”

Az looked down, beginning to trace patterns on the rooftop. There was no sound. No wind, no echoes of others conversations, no birds singing. Nothing.

Just the two of them and the sky above.

“Sayang?” He broke the silence, still not looking up.

The Kyrii tilted her head slightly, not speaking or moving her hands from her face.

Az continued. “I don’t want to go. I never have. This is my place. My time. I want to be here. This time needs me, in a way that mine doesn’t. Coru needs to go back, of course, and Invi likely will as well.” He paused. “Invi could probably come back, too.” He sounded bitter.

“You are what you are,” Sayang said. “And nothing is going to change you.”

Az turned towards her, letting her see the emotions that lay there. He wasn’t even trying to hide them. Not from her. Never from her. Stubbornness, confusion, despair. They were all there for her to see. “Sayang, I know that. But I’m still honor-bound to go back. That doesn’t mean I’ll stay there. I’ll find some way to come back here. It might take me years, but I will. I’ll come back here.”

He left the final words unsaid.

“You shouldn’t,” she whispered, not looking at him. “And you shouldn’t have said goodbye.”

“Why not?” Az sat down beside her, watching her.

“This isn’t going to help either of us.” Her tail was twitching, flicking back and forth in agitation.

Az raised an eyebrow. “Explain?”

“I can’t,” she said, sounding frustrated. “I just feel that it won’t.”

“That doesn’t help, Sayang.” He looked at her, still curled up, and so vulnerable. “Please?”

She looked at him. Her expression was softer than he’d ever seen it, even after the battle, when she’d found him, hugged him, and led him to his flight. “Az...” She paused, looking down again. “I don’t know. Take me down to the ground? I’ll talk more as we walk to the courtyard.”

Az nodded. Remembering that she couldn’t see him, he said, “Yeah. Sure.”

Neither of them stood, though. For the longest while, Az just watched the clouds drifting past and around them, and the slow descent of the sun to the horizon. Occasionally, he glanced over at Sayang, to see her still curled up, silent and contemplative. It was quiet, peaceful, and for once, Az felt at home in the silence with another person around.

“We should go,” Sayang finally said, but her heart wasn’t in it.

“We should,” Az admitted. “But we won’t, will we?”

“No. We won’t. Not until we need to.”

Az sighed, closing his eyes. “Then tell me when the sun begins to set,” he said, letting himself drift into the half-sleep where his dreams came most easily, most strongly, without him needing to fully falling asleep. If he fell asleep and delayed them, Invi would kill him. Coru probably would, too, now that he thought about it. He shivered at the thought of the two of them teaming up on him. That wouldn’t be fun at all.

He turned back to his dreams, ignoring the thoughts of being killed. Oh, Invi was the dreamer, but he could still dream. And he did. Technology, married to magic, was one of his dreams. Right now, technology that would let one of them be in the other’s time, forever. That was what he dreamt of, the images playing across closed eyelids, not his more usual images of new weapons, new things that went boom.

And, hidden in those images, he was sure he could find a way to make his dream come true. Especially if Invi let him examine the sunburst. That would help immensely. He doubted Invi would, though. The Eyrie seemed really protective of it for some reason. A reason possibly having to do with how he had tried to take it originally.

“Az.”

“Fine.” Az opened his eyes, pushed himself to his feet, and turned to Sayang. “Let’s go.”

She grinned, and Az laughed, grabbing her as he leapt off the rooftop, spreading his wings as they spiraled down. “You’ll need to lead the way,” he said, as their feet touched the clouds. “I’m not sure how to get back from here.”

Sayang just shook her head. “You should get to know places better,” she said, starting off.

Az followed, protesting. “I can’t help that this is the first time I’ve been in Faerieland! Though I guess I could’ve helped having half the army gather around and pester me about magic. That wasn’t necessary.”

“No, it wasn’t. Since you didn’t really tell them anything, anyway.”

“Not my fault I can’t explain instinct.”

“True, I suppose.”

They both fell silent once more, Sayang leading the way through the streets until they emerged in the courtyard, where everyone else was gathered. Az paused at the edge, next to where Sayang had stopped. “So this is it,” he said, finally admitting it to himself as he spoke the words. Dreams couldn’t change the truth.

“Yes,” Sayang whispered. “This is it.”

“I’ll miss you,” he said, trying not to turn, trying not to look at her one last time.

“And I’ll miss you, Drake.”

Az laughed, and the laughter carried him towards the others. He couldn’t look back. If he looked back, he might regret this. And that, more than anything else, would be what killed him. But looking ahead, to the others, he doubted that he was the worst off. That title probably went to Invi or Keben.

“Good! You’re finally here,” Coru snapped. “Now I won’t need to listen to Invi grumble about you being late any more.”

“Well, sorry,” Az said. “It took longer than I thought to find Sayang.”

“That’s not an excuse.”

“It’s an explanation, though,” Az said, taking his place by Invi.

“Shut up,” Invi said absently. “I need to remember how to activate this, now that you have joined us.”

“What’s so hard about it?” Az asked. “You just said some funny words. I think the last one was something like Solomon.”

“Thanks for that useless piece of information. I know the last word, but not any of the others.”

“How about I choke you again and set it off that way?” Az asked, almost hopefully.

“No,” Invi said, quietly, firmly. “You will not do that.”

Az tilted his head, grinning. “Whyever not?”

“Because I know the key, now.”

“What-”

“Shut up,” Invi said again.

Az shut up and watched. Invi didn’t seem to do anything other than stand there. Not that he ever had much expression. His blindfold, gold and red against his darkness, didn’t help with that at all, hiding his eyes from sight. And making Invi’s refusal to act as if he were blind even more apparent. If his eyes were showing, at least Az could ignore it to some extent.

At last, the Eyrie moved, sitting back to hold the sunburst in both forepaws. “Addonos alio,” he said softly. His voice echoed through the courtyard, reverberating, becoming more than it had been when he’d activated it before. “Addonos uta vulnero locus. Addonos quanos succurro.”

A pause, and Az resisted the urge to whisper the final word with Invi.

“Sollumin.”

Az thought he’d braced himself this time, but when the disorienting swirl of light and color and sound and wind came, with the echoed words, he knew he hadn’t braced himself enough.

_“Sollumin.”_

Bright white light flashed, fading to the pale blue of sunrise, and then gold and pink swirls, wind blowing them around as if they were clouds. The scent of rain filled his nose, and he felt like he was surrounded by the softest feathers ever. The light changed to a deep rose, and the word echoed again.

_“Sollumin.”_

Purple burst over the rose, and with it came the scent of sun-warmed earth and the feeling of utter warmth and satisfaction. But as the purple faded to blue, and from blue into green, Az felt himself spin, get blown by the wind that came from nowhere, swirling the green into dark and light. The deep scent of caves filled him, and with it came a sense of home.

_“Sollumin.”_

A flash of bright gold light, and there they were, standing in Coru’s kitchen again, right where they had been before all this. Nothing seemed to have changed, other than what they wore and where they stood. Az just stared around him in silence, wishing.

Invi spoke, and all the noises of the forest seemed to start again. “I assume we arrived home?”

“Yes,” Coru said, a smile on his face. “We’re home.”


End file.
